“The user-friendliness of the Apple machines has created a much better workflow, which in turn has really improved our ability to turn around finished videos.”
Rich Rodriguez, Director of Video Production, University of Southern California Athletics
University of Southern California: A Winning Combination for USC Trojans
Los Angeles, CA — When the University of Southern California (USC) won the 2008 Rose Bowl, the contest was significant for more than one reason: Not only was the university’s football team making its third straight appearance in the annual match-up, but USC’s Athletics Department used its new Apple-based video post-production system to stream game highlights on USC’s website immediately after the game. Thanks to an Xsan-based technology solution, the Trojans’ sports fans now can find their favorite footage faster than ever.
Before USC Athletics installed its new Apple infrastructure, the shooting and editing of sports highlights was a tedious process. With only one consumer-grade post-production system, members of the USC Athletics video team struggled to keep up with the demands for footage of particularly exciting plays. The fact that USC has one of the country’s highest-profile athletic programs (with students competing in a multitude of sports) further accelerated the need for an efficient way to capture and deliver video footage.
“It got to the point where we couldn’t handle the volume of requests we were getting, both internally and from places like ESPN and our local Fox station,” recalls Rich Rodriguez, director of video production with USC Athletics. “And football was only one of five sports we were shooting; we also cover basketball, soccer, and other sports where there aren’t any licensing issues. So between the need to stream game clips on our site, create videos for our coach to review with players, put together highlight videos for awards dinners, and make footage available to the networks, it was time to look for a new editing system.”
Apple Tools Make the Cut(s)
With a steadily increasing number of requests flowing in, Rodriguez needed help — fast. He found it in a call to his local Apple representative, who suggested Rodriguez take a look at Final Cut Studio. Rodriguez, who had earned his own undergraduate degree at USC’s famed School of Cinematic Arts, and had worked in the film industry for several years, welcomed the suggestion.
“I’d always used Apple products, because they’re just more user-friendly,” he says. “The functionality of Final Cut is so much more intuitive than our old system. We get a lot of students working here from the Annenberg Center for Communications and the film school. Since they’re already accustomed to Final Cut, it seemed like an obvious choice. Plus, with our Xsan and Xserve RAID system, students really zip through their projects. It’s worked out great.”
New Infrastructure Shrinks Production Schedules
USC Athletics’ video department now has four Mac Pro workstations, all linked by Xsan to an Xserve (which serves up Final Cut Studio) and a 5.2-terabyte Xserve RAID. Each Mac Pro boasts a 23-inch Cinema Display, offering optimum views of video footage. Rodriguez says USC’s all-digital environment – and an efficient workflow supported by the Apple tools – has greatly streamlined the post-production process.
